Update on BRHC course

Since we have posted news on Bachelor of Rural Health Care course information on web, there were large number of people who are attracted to this key word. Its really interesting. We like to give more inputs on the same topic.
After active lobbing of political leaders to implement the course, there was mass opposition from the doctors from all over India. The Indian Medical Association has done great oppose of the course and its execution. And one day it was heard that Prime minister of India has assured the doctors that he will rethink or relook before implementation. And all doctors have great relief. They celebrated this as victory.
But the issue is really critical to think. Read some facts of our country.
- As per 2001 census, 74% of Indian population is still living in rural and tribal areas of country.
- Majority of trained qualified medical doctors (>80%) is catering services to urban area and that’s 26% population.
- Even in 2011 census, it is assumed that 65-70% of Indian population is still in tribal and rural India.
- In 2010, the number of medical colleges in India is almost double to 300 mark, in compare to 1995. This increasing in number is mainly private medical colleges, very few government medical colleges.
- Most important fact, over last one decade, the number of medical graduate who have joined government health services is touching less than five percent or touching zero. All medical graduates are interested to do post graduation no one interested to work as family physician.
Looking to above ground facts, it is high time to rethink about BRHC course. The villagers or tribal population in country have to still travel a lot to acquire medical services. There areas, even in Gujarat and Haryana and Kerala where people have to travel long to get basic health care. Sir Joseph Bhore, 1946 has submitted his report and he told that health services should be cover at doorstep of citizens.
Few days back I was listening on television about discussion on Indian education system the future. One eminent personality was discussing (forget the name), he has rightly said that rural and tribal people want the person who can give injection, who can treat basic issues not the doctor who will prescribe investigations rather treatment. The country need para education system not the university qualified. We need to develop world class ITI (Industrial training institute with auxiliary training) not world class IIT(Indian Institute of Technology) , IIM (Indian institute of Management) or IIPH (Indian institute of public health) or medical graduate or post graduate.
The need we have to decide not the external people should decide. Think and comment
Dr. Niraj Pandit, community Physician